Users of modern public washroom facilities increasingly desire that each of the fixtures in the washroom operate automatically without being touched by the user's hands. This is important in view of increased user awareness of the degree to which germs and bacteria may be transmitted from one person to another in a public washroom environment. Today, it is not uncommon to find public washrooms with automatic, hands-free operated toilet and urinal units, hand washing faucets, soap dispensers, hand dryers and door opening mechanisms. This automation allows the user to avoid touching any of the fixtures in the facility, and therefore lessens the opportunity for the transmission of disease carrying germs or bacteria resulting from manual contact with the fixtures in the washroom.
It is known to provide a counter-mounted soap dispensers in public washrooms to dispense liquid or foam soap automatically in response to sensing the presence of a user. However, these counter-mounted dispensers may allow soap to drip out of the dispenser after a use. This dripping creates an unappealing and messy environment and discourages the use of the dispenser. Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved means that prevents leakage or dripping of excess soap.
These and other objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.